Words have become tricky these days! During the election the situation reached nearly intolerable levels, but, let’s face it, it’s a general epidemic. For example, in the months leading up to the election, if I looked at how bad things are and said I wanted to see a “change”, it was no longer considered a simple statement of fact. It became an excuse for others to attack. And I never even had to mention my political leanings! 

Why do so many words have a hidden agenda today? Why do people talk about a word as being a “code” for a whole set of ideas? 

Words have been usurped. Euphemisms have become coded messages that take on implications that were never intended. “Pro-life” is a classic example. Originally meaning “in favor of the value of human life” it has become a term that carries the hidden message that a woman, whether poor, raped, or otherwise traumatized, has no right to the value of her life or the life of her other children. In fact, it sometimes appears to carry the meaning that sex-education and knowledge about preventing unwanted pregnancies should be banned. I’m confused. 

Why doesn’t “pro-life” mean providing better living conditions in wretched neighborhoods? Better education and nutrition for the children already born? Better employment opportunities than the local gangs, drugs dealers, and extortionists? Better health, more hope, and a high possibility to be productive and prosocial members of society? When did the focus get shifted away from these needs for living human beings?   

Let’s take some other examples from dictionary definitions. “Right” and “Left” as political terms come from the European habit of seating more conservative members to the right of the assembly, and those more interested in reform to the left of the assembly hall. Okay, so some people are slower to change and others want change faster. Sounds like a debate between the two desires is what leads to a reasonable middle ground. 

But for months (years?) now I’ve heard these words used as insults in a venomous tone of voice that totally disrespects the other viewpoint. Why bother to listen to each other’s reasons and debate the best choice? It seems easier to dismiss the effort of thinking by simply making it clear that the other person is less than human and doesn’t deserve to be listened to. 

Before you get any angrier with my questioning of these words, ask yourself why you’re angry. Anger is an emotion produced in response to a threat. By definition, it’s not a rational decision, but rather a gut response to feeling hurt. So are you reacting by feeling hurt that I am suggesting that some people are too lazy to listen and then think? Are you feeling threatened by the accusation that you might be one of those lazy venomous people? 

I know that trying to be logical or rational about people’s pet causes might irritate some people. But I think it’s worth the risk of irritating some readers because I am more afraid of the damage caused by not thinking. Language misuse, without thought as to what a word really means, leads to assumptions. And when we assume we’re right and everyone who disagrees is wrong, that leads to bias, bad action, and poor choices. In fact it can lead to violence and abuse. 

People not only don’t know what words really mean anymore; they actually use them in ways almost diametrically opposed to the word originally meant! Elitist has become a dirty word. But it used to be a compliment. It used to mean that someone had more knowledge, education, or skills than the average.  

Acronyms and the need for short “sound bites” aren’t encouraging us to think more; they’re encouraging laziness to the point of non-thinking. Popular culture is beginning to recognize this. Let me give you an example: LOL developed as a shorthand, an acronym for finding something funny enough to cause you to laugh. (Whether it was a belly laugh, a chortle, or a mere chuckle wasn’t specified.) Now’s there’s a television commercial that suggests you need a better way to explain the thought in your own words. In other words, we’re beginning to realize that synonyms aren’t thesame word. Instead they carry different subtleties that affect what we are actually expressing. 

I’m frightened because I know that labeling and venom go hand in hand; the former encourages the latter. We’ve come to see that in racism, sometimes even in sexism. But now it seems that political views have become the new arena for slurs, violence, and disrespect.  

With language being such a unique and important characteristic of humanity, it grieves me to lose the richness available in expressing ourselves just because we’re sometimes too lazy to bother to think. In my recent book, I detail four and a half years of people acting badly because they were too lazy to think about the consequences of their actions and words. You can’t blame me for worrying!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 at 7:20 pm and is filed under Creativity, Education, Mental Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.